Thousands of nurses across New York City have walked off the job in a major industrial action, escalating a bitter contract dispute with some of the city's largest hospital networks.
Mass Walkout Over Pay and Conditions
Nearly 16,000 nurses are set to join the union-led strike, which began on Monday 9 January 2023. The action, organised by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), spans five major hospitals. The central demand is for hospitals to prioritise patients over profit, with nurses citing critical issues around staffing, pay, and workplace safety.
The union highlights a stark disparity in compensation, noting that CEO pay at Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and New York Presbyterian hospitals is nearly 12,000 times higher than the average nurse's salary. Furthermore, NYSNA claims these three hospital systems hold a combined $1.6 billion in cash or equivalents, funds they argue should be invested in staffing and community care.
Core Issues: Staffing, Safety, and Healthcare
Nancy Hagans, President of NYSNA and a nurse with over 30 years at Maimonides Medical Center, outlined the key grievances. She accused hospital management of trying to scale back safe staffing ratios, refusing to guarantee healthcare benefit coverage for nurses, and failing to address serious workplace safety concerns.
"The safety of a patient should never be a bargaining chip," Hagans stated. "Nurses are just demanding that New York City private hospitals put patients over profit." She pointed to a drastic rise in assaults on healthcare workers since the Covid-19 pandemic and referenced an active shooter incident at Mount Sinai in November, where three nurses were reportedly disciplined for speaking out afterwards.
Hagans emphasised the nurses' position: "We’re not asking to strike. Management is the one who’s telling us that we need to strike."
Hospital Response and Preparations
The hospitals involved have strongly criticised the strike action. A spokesperson for Mount Sinai denied claims of retaliation post-shooting and attempting to remove healthcare benefits, stating they are bargaining in good faith. They accused NYSNA of refusing to move from "extreme economic proposals" that would cost billions.
New York Presbyterian blamed the union for the deadlock on wages, calling the threatened strike an intentional disruption to patient care. All hospitals confirmed they have taken steps to prepare for the strike, including hiring travel nurses to maintain services. Montefiore did not respond to requests for comment.
The strike notices were issued on 2 January. While seven smaller hospitals have since reached agreements, about 1,000 nurses at three Northwell hospitals on Long Island have also issued strike notices, potentially widening the action.
Simone Way, a nurse at Mount Sinai Morningside and NYSNA executive committee member, criticised management's portrayal of the dispute. "They do have the money, but they don’t appear to be willing to invest that money in their nurses or into the ability for us to provide the best care humanly possible to our patients," she said.
